McAuliffe loved contact
The more the better. Former McGuinness running back/linebacker Craig McAuliff did not mind getting hit — or delivering hits. The Oklahoman salutes McAuliff and other people with Oklahoma ties who enjoyed the game day experience.
A farewell to people with Oklahoma ties who enjoyed the game day experience:
•Craig McAuliff, 31, of Oklahoma City. McAuliff’s name made several appearances in The Oklahoman’s sports pages in the early 2000s while starring on football and baseball fields for Bishop McGuinness High School.
Although standing just 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, McAuliff was a pad-smacking running back and a big-hit-loving linebacker. One season, he collected 14 sacks. In an interview with The Oklahoman, McAuliff said: “I do like to hit. Defense, you’ve just got to get pumped up and let the blood flow ... no pain.”
Asked if he was granted one superpower, what would it be, McAuliff said, “Super strength so I could play in the NFL.”
McAuliff never cracked NFL Draft boards, but he had a handsome list of honors as a player for McGuinness’ tradition-rich football program. Some of those included first-team linebacker on the Little All-City squad, a third-team All-State pick and a Jim Thorpe Game selection.
He was just as good on the baseball diamond. As a senior outfielder, he batted .441 with seven homers and 39 RBI. McAuliff helped the Irish to a fourth-straight
state tournament.
He signed to play baseball with Oklahoma State, where his older brother,
Jimbo, played over the 19982001 seasons. Craig made the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll as a freshman, but he soon moved on to OU, where he earned a degree in engineering.
Craig was also a skilled artist. Many of his awardwinning works were displayed at the Gaylord Museum on the OU campus. He was a self-taught piano player.
•Denny Porter, 59, of Oklahoma City, was the younger brother of Darrell Porter, who spent 17 years in big league baseball. Like his brother, Denny was primarily a catcher. He played at Southeast High, Rose State Junior College and the University of Central Oklahoma.
Denny was an undrafted prospect in the Kansas City Royals system. He spent three years in the low minors; 1980 was his best season, batting .294 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI in 82 games for Charleston of the Class A South Atlantic League.
Denny spent several summers coaching Little League Baseball. He enjoyed playing golf and hunting deer.
•James Smart, 61, of Oklahoma City. He excelled in basketball and cross country at Muncie Central High School in his native Indiana. Smart was an astute pool player. He worked in construction.
•Cecille Short, 82, of Oklahoma City. She was the wife of the late Arnold
Short, the first basketball All-American at Oklahoma City University. Cecille and Arnold met while he was a player for the Phillips 66ers, an Amateur Athletic Union power in the 1950s. Cecille was an Oklahoma City Thunder fan.
•Jeff Converse, 47, of Woodward was an avid fisherman. He founded Northwest Fishin’ Trips and Tackle in Canton. Converse attended the University of Missouri, studying fisheries and wildlife. He also went to Alabama, where he studied aquatic ecology. A family obituary said: “Fishing was the love of his life. He loved taking people fishing.”
•Susanne Wilson Vessels, 84, of Sarasota, Fla. She was the wife of the late
Billy Vessels, the Heisman Trophy-winning halfback at OU. The Vessels’ were Cleveland, OK, natives, but they found themselves far
from home as Billy played professional football for the Edmonton Eskimos and Baltimore Colts.
They moved to Florida in the late 1950s. Billy became a property developer, and Susanne was mom to Jane,
Chase and Lance.
•Victor Pryor Jr., 81 of Holdenville, owned several race horses on his ranch. Pryor and wife Carol enjoyed watching their horses compete at various tracks. Victor was an OU graduate who was an attorney and oil company owner.
•Tony Massad, 88, of Frederick was the first athlete at the old Oklahoma Military Academy to letter in four sports for three consecutive years. He starred in football, earning junior college All-America honors. OMA, now known as Rogers State University, retired Massad’s No. 13 football jersey.
The Korean War veteran worked in law for more than 60 years. Massad served with the Oklahoma State Senate in the 1960s.
•John McCandless of Edmond died one week before his 82nd birthday. From 1959 to 2016, the attorney never missed attending an OU home football game. He owned several hunting dogs and enjoyed the quail and waterfowl seasons.